Michigan State football: 3 breakout candidates on offense for 2022

Offense wasn’t Michigan State football’s issue in 2021, but losing Kenneth Walker III will hurt. Who could break out to ease that loss?

If you were looking for a weakness from last year’s Michigan State football team, it definitely wasn’t on the offensive side of the ball for what seemed like the first time in five years.

Payton Thorne broke out in his first year as QB1, Kenneth Walker III was the best running back in college football, the line got stronger as the year progressed, and Jayden Reed and Jalen Nailor were torching defenses with speed and elusiveness.

Walker and Nailor are gone now, though, and the offense will have to develop new breakout candidates. Some guys are going to need to step up in order to replicate that success.

Who will break out for the Spartans on offense in 2022?

I’ve been on the Maliq Carr bandwagon ever since he transferred to Michigan State because I saw the vision. Jay Johnson probably salivated at the idea of having Carr matching up against opposing linebackers as a tight end and burning them across the middle with his elite athleticism at the position.

In year one, that didn’t quite happen. Why? Because he wasn’t an excellent blocker. Things seem to be changing, though, as Ted Gilmore has said that he’s “100 percent better” in that area.

Let’s say Gilmore is right and Carr knows that he needs to block in order to stay on the field, he’s going to have a monster season for the Spartans. Sure, Daniel Barker transferred in to potentially start, but I think that has only pushed Carr to be better and he’s going to play extensively.

Carr has the ability to be Michigan State’s best tight end in quite some time and he’s reportedly having a great preseason camp. I’m all in on Carr.